


Another Day, Another Conversation

by chelseagirl



Category: Deadwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 15:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseagirl/pseuds/chelseagirl
Summary: Mr. Wu finds dealing with Al Swearengen exhausting, sometimes.  Fortunately, he has a secret.





	Another Day, Another Conversation

Frustrated, as usual, by his interaction with Al Swearengen, Wu entered his building, passing quickly through the front office, with its dirty counter and its plain board walls, and into the suite of back rooms where _gwai lou_ never came.

The back rooms bore little resemblance to what the rest of the camp saw, either in the front room or from the outside. They were tidy and well-constructed, furnished in simple good taste and ornamented with pictures and vases brought over, or imported since, from China. Unlike almost anything else in camp, they were also scrupulously clean.

Two men, Zhang and Lin, awaited Wu, who nodded his greeting, and then shook his head in exhaustion.

“Swea’gen, Wu, cocksucker,” he said in his heavily-accented English, and then shifted to Cantonese. “It’s becoming absurd. We communicate in a shared vocabulary of about five words, and it’s such bother getting my point across. Unfortunately, it seems we can’t avoid doing business with him.”

"Swear-in-gen," corrected Lin. 

“Swea’gen. Whatever. Ridiculous name,” Wu insisted. 

Zhang referred to his notes. “Listen, boss, we need to talk about supplies, about the San Francisco shipments, and about a few disputes within our community.” 

“And then it’s time for your English lesson,” said Lin. 

“Very well.” Wu sighed. The men worked through the business of the day, and then Zhang excused himself. 

Lin handed a thick book to Wu, who looked at it in dismay. “Does no one write in English but this Charles Dickens?”

“Mark Twain overuses dialect, and Shakespeare is a bit archaic,” Lin explained, not for the first time. “The only other books floating around camp are the white man’s Bibles. In any case, Dickens uses proper English . . . mostly.”

Wu opened the book. “A Tale of Two Cities,” he said, in English. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” He continued to read aloud, his accent thick, but his reading fluent. Only occasionally did he stumble over a word, and the patient Lin helped him work through the meaning in context. 

At the end of the chapter, he closed the book. “Another chapter tomorrow?” he asked, continuing to speak in English. “I wonder what Swea’gen would think if he knew I understood every word he said?”

Lin smiled, also still speaking English. “Swear-in-gen. As for the _gwai lou_ , let them see what they want to see.” 

Wu nodded. “You are right, of course. They are most easily managed, that way.” He looked around, shifting back to Cantonese. “Meanwhile, have you seen my copy of _The Dream of the Red Chamber_ , anywhere? Now that’s a story worth reading.” 

**Author's Note:**

> All the way through watching Deadwood, when it first aired, I would turn to my partner and say, "one of these weeks, Wu is going to turn to Swearengen and say something in fluent English, and let him know he's been effing with him the whole time." Alas, he never did. So, in the midst of a rewatch, I wrote this.


End file.
